Ties That Bind
by Hawthornes
Summary: There's a new evil in Mystic Falls, a mystery that no one can solve. Except for Bonnie, but it requires her to use dark magic that could kill her. Bonnie is forced to tie her life to Damon's to insure that she lives, but that brings a whole new problem.
1. No One Values Their Life More than Me

**A/N: I know I shouldn't be starting a new fic when I haven't updated **_**Invasion **_**and **_**Restless**_** in forever, but watching tonight's episode, I couldn't help it. I've been meaning to update the other two, but things just kind of got out of hand because I've been writing my own novel, and I've been crazy busy with that. As soon as I have time and inspiration, I'll update. **

**I hope you like this new one! **

Bonnie sat on her bed with her history book propped on her knees. She was trying to study, she really was, but her mind was elsewhere. She knew what her father had said. He had told her that if she didn't bring her grades up, he would ship her off to some boarding school, and she couldn't have that. This town would burn to the ground without her, and she knew it.

So, she was trying to study so she would be able to pass her test on Monday. Because if she did, it was goodbye Mystic Falls, and hello some school in the middle of nowhere. But her mind was still preoccupied with the newest situation. Another big bad rolled into town, and no one, not even the Originals, could figure out what it was. All anyone knew was that it was dangerous, and practically invisible.

Stefan's theory was that it wasn't a physical being because they had all searched every corner of the town and came up empty. So, he said, that it was either very good a hiding, or something that didn't have a body. Damon had called him a crazy fool for thinking that, and Elena had stayed mutual. Bonnie didn't know what to think. All she knew was that it was dangerous, and they needed to get rid of it.

It had taken Caroline's mother. That was its first victim. Except that it didn't really kill her. No, Damon had killed her because if he didn't, then she would have killed everyone. A couple of nights ago when Caroline went home, she found her mother in the living room. She knew that there was something wrong, so she had called Bonnie, and Bonnie had called Stefan for muscle.

There was no way to describe the horror that had become of the Sherriff. She was blank-faced, and grey-skinned. Her eyes…she didn't have eyes. She just had large gaping black holes. Stefan and Damon had showed up, and tried to move her, thinking that she was dead. She wasn't quite dead because when they touched her, she jumped up, screaming. Her voice was completely inhuman, and it didn't belong to her.

"_This is a warning." _She had said, and the voice she had spoken in still made Bonnie shiver. _"I am the end. I am destruction, and this is just the beginning. Death has come for all beings. It is time for a new species to take over. The queen and king will unite, and together they will bring the world to ash." _

And then she had attacked them, like a wild animal. It had taken all of them by surprise, when she jumped at Caroline. Bonnie could still hear her friend's screams. The Sherriff had dug her hand in to her daughter's chest, and squeezed on her heart. Bonnie was almost sure that Caroline would die at the hands of her mother. But after Damon recovered from his shock, he reached forward, and decapitated her.

Caroline would never be okay. Bonnie and Elena had stayed with her for the first couple of nights. They had stayed by her side, and each night Caroline had cried herself to sleep. Tyler had been out of town at the time, but he was back now, and he was staying with her. Elena and she took turns calling in and checking up. Each time the answer was the same. _She's not okay, but give her some time. _

And every night since then, they had gone out in teams, looking for apparently nothing. Bonnie's eyes floated over to her clock. It was almost ten o'clock on Friday night, which meant that it was almost her turn. Studying would have to wait. The safety of the town was more important. If worst came to worst, she could always get someone to compel her father into letting her stay. That would be a last option kind of thing, but what had to be done, had to be done.

She jumped off of her bed, and went over to her closet. Last time she had learned the hard way to dress warmly. For four hours she froze her ass off in the forest because she hadn't dressed properly. She should have known to wear a coat since it was late fall, but she had been so worked up that it totally slipped her mind. Now, Bonnie pulled on a long sleeve shirt with a tank top under it, a hoodie, and her coat.

A tapping on her window startled her. She looked over her shoulder, and slowly made her way to the window. There was no one hanging there. She took a step closer, and watched as a rock hit her window lightly. She sighed, and went over to it. The window groaned as she pushed it opened, and she leaned out of it. Standing in her back yard was Damon, looking up at her with a smirk.

"Where's Jeremy?" She called down, irritated. Tonight it was supposed to be her and Jeremy going out. Damon and Stefan went this morning. She had specifically requested that she not be paired with Damon because she knew that she couldn't handle him until sunrise.

He shrugged. "Called me and said something came up, and that he couldn't make it. I tried to pawn it off on Stefan, but he's been getting lazy."

She rolled her eyes at him. Surely this was going to be a long night. A really long night. And if she had to kill Damon before morning, then that wasn't her fault. Jeremy could take the blame because he bailed, or Stefan could because he made his brother go. It would be so much easier with Stefan because at least he didn't get on her nerves so much that she wanted to claw her own eyes out.

"I'll be right down."

"Jump!" He called, looking up at her with a wider smirk.

She rolled her eyes again, and slammed the window shut. The last thing she wanted to do was jump out of a window, and have to trust Damon to catch her. She wouldn't trust Damon to babysit a plant, let alone catch her. He would probably let her fall just so that he could laugh at her and say _did you really think that I could catch you? _She didn't want that. She had her pride.

Her father wasn't home tonight, so she didn't have to worry about trying to sneak out. On her way outside, she stopped by the kitchen, and grabbed a handful of grapes, and a couple of cookies. She stuffed them in a sandwich bag, and stuffed the bag in the pocket of her coat. She knew that she would get hungry later. At the last moment, she grabbed her cellphone that was lying on the table.

Outside, Damon was leaning up against the railing. He was dressed in his usual black leather jacket, with his arms crossed over his chest. He cocked his head at her when she came out. "Cold?" He asked, raising one eyebrow.

She walked past him, bumping him with her shoulder. "I'm not going to freeze to death, Damon. Some of us actually get cold when it's minus ten." She walked in front of him, intent of ignoring him for as much as she could. Bonnie opened the passenger's door to his car, and slipped inside.

"No need to be snippy, Bonnie. We get each other all night long." He said when he got into the car. He started the engine, and pulled out of the drive way. After a long moment of silence, he informed her, "we're heading to the cemetery tonight."

She arched an eyebrow, turning toward him. Why would they go to the cemetery? The first place they thought to look was in the cemetery, and they had come up blank. Stefan and Alaric had checked the place several times after that, and still there was nothing there. It was pointless to look there. Plus, whatever this thing was, it wasn't stupid. It would know that the cemetery was the obvious place.

He sighed, shaking his head as if he knew her thoughts. Then he turned around, and with one hand, fished around in the backseat for a moment before producing a small leather book. He threw it at her. "Alaric found that in the house. It's one of Emily's witchy cookbooks. I thought that we found them all, but apparently we didn't."

She flipped through a couple of pages, and then stopped. Her heart fell into her toes, and her ears started ringing. She read the page once…twice…three times, just to makes sure that what she was reading was true. None of the words were changing. It was there, imprinted on the page. Bonnie looked at Damon with large green eyes. "This takes dark magic, Damon. A lot of dark magic." She said in a hushed tone.

Damon nodded. "Can you do it?" He caught her eyes, and a she thought she saw a flicker of concern cross them, but just like that it was gone, leaving her to believe that it was just a trick of the light.

Bonnie read the spell again. _To summon a dark spirit. _She read the title over and over before looking at Damon. Could she do the spell? Yeah, she could probably do it. But that didn't mean that she wanted to. It might help, but it might not. And it would be great if it did. If she knew that it would help, she wouldn't even hesitate. But there was the chance that it wouldn't.

If it didn't, Bonnie would be opening herself up to all sorts of evil. She didn't know what could happen. The witches could take away her power, which she wouldn't totally mind. That was the best case scenario. The worst case was death. No, the worst case was worse than death. Because death was peaceful, it was easy. What would happen to her would be unthinkable. An eternity of burning. And she wasn't sure if she wanted that.

She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat, and nodded at him. "Yeah, I should be able to."

He looked at her with a furrowed brow for a moment before asking, "how bad will it be?" His voice was low, and she knew that there was concern in his eyes now. She could see it, and it wasn't fading.

Bonnie sucked in a breath. "Does it matter?" She asked with a cold laugh. "If it helps, who cares about the consequences?" She shook her head, turning to look out of the window. They were passing by things at a speeding that made everything blur. She couldn't help it. She wondered if this was going to be the last time she saw her town. _One life, for hundred, _she told herself.

"Well, we still kind of need you, Bonnie. If you haven't noticed, this town isn't exactly crawling with witches." He paused, and his eyes were burning holes into the back of her head. "Tell me this: is it going to kill you?"

"It could." She nodded, still not looking at him. "Any dark magic could kill because witches are a force of nature – good magic." She lowered her voice. "All dark magic has consequences."

He was silent again as if he was weighing her words carefully. "One a scale of one to ten, how likely is it that you're going to die?" He asked her.

Bonnie turned to him then, and let out another cold laugh, shaking her head. "Six." Or seven. She wasn't really sure about it, but it was a high chance. "But the chances of some evil spirit latching onto me are much higher. Like a nine." And that's what would be bad. If she was possessed, she would be alive, but she wouldn't have control of her body. And whatever did would probably do some evil thing, which would make her wish that she was dead.

"Sometimes…" he said slowly, carefully, "witches tie someone's life to someone else, so they can't be killed unless the other person is." Her eyes widened at his words, and she watched him with her heart beating in her chest. "If you could tie your life to someone, then that would guarantee that you'll live." His eyes caught hers and they stayed like that for a long time.

Then she looked down. "I don't know if I have that kind of power." She said, chewing on her bottom lip. A tying spell took a lot of magic, and it took a mixture of good and evil magic. What would Grams say? She would probably shake her head and say something like _baby, sometimes we've got to do things we don't want to in order to save people we love. _She wished that she had Grams now.

Damon laughed, giving her a smirk. "Yeah, you do."

She sucked in a breath, glaring at him a little. "Whose life would I tie mine to, anyway? Yours?" Bonnie laughed, and turned her head to look out of the window again. She expected a snarky remark from him, but she just got silence. Her head snapped back in his direction. "You're joking? Please tell me you're joking." She gasped, and then dragged her hands down her face.

"I wasn't too pleased about it either, Bonnie. I mean; what if you go off and decide to be the big hero, and then end up getting us both killed?" He scowled. "But Alaric made the wonderful point that no one values their life more than me, so there was no one better."

That was a good point. There was no one in the world that cared more if he lived or died than Damon Salvatore, which should make him perfect. And he would be. If he wasn't Damon. Because she still didn't trust Damon, and she barely liked him. The last thing she needed was him to go prancing around dangling the fact that he controls her life over her head. But, was there another choice?

And then there was the fact that tying meant more than dying or living. If she tied their lives together, that would also put an empathy link in. And that meant that she would be able to feel whatever he was feeling and vice versa. That didn't seem great. No, that seemed horrible. He'd probably just hurt himself for spite when she did something that he didn't agree with. She didn't want to be tied to Damon like that.

But there wasn't another choice.

She sighed, and pushed the car door open when Damon stopped. _There isn't another way. This has to be done. It's the only way to keep me alive. It's going to be okay. This has to happen. _She told herself over and over as she made her way to the Salvatore crypt. She knew that there would be an alter in there for her to use. Bonnie dug her fingernails into the skin on her palms as Damon pushed the heavy stone door open.

The room was lit with candles, and in the center was an altar with herbs and a bowl. Bonnie went to stand in front of it, and started putting things in the bowl. She kept her mind focused on the task at hand, not looking at Damon who was looming behind her. His eyes were boring holes into the back of her head, she could feel it. Every muscle in her body was tense, and her heart beat was erratic.

"I'm not doing the summoning spell tonight; it'll take more power than I have." She said dryly.

He didn't say anything.

"Come around front and give me your hand." She ordered, and when he was in front of him, she took his hand. Bonnie picked up the dagger that was lying on the altar, and used it to make a long cut in his palm. She turned it upside down, and watched as the blood dripped in the bowl. She then did the same to hers.

Bonnie struck a match, and before throwing it into the bowl, she looked at him. He wasn't saying anything, but he caught her eyes and nodded grimly. She was hoping that he would say no because this would be their last chance to walk away. But he didn't. He remained completely silent, watching her work the spell. Bonnie dropped the match into the bowl, and placed her hands above the fire.

Power, both good and evil, rushed through her body. Non-existent wind caught the both of them in a tornado, sending their hair flying every which way. Bonnie kept her eyes closed tightly, determined to stay grounded. It would be so easy to lose herself in the power like so many witches probably did, but she couldn't. She thought of her friends, of her family, of how they all needed her. That's how she stayed grounded.

The wind died, and the fire from the bowl and all of the candles flickered out. Through the darkness, Bonnie could see Damon looking lost and wind-blown. She put her hands around the bowl, and lifted it to her. It was burning in her hands, but she ignored it. "Drink." She ordered.

He took the bowl from her, and did as she asked, and then handed it back to her.

She drank next, and it took all of her willpower not to spit it back up. It burned her tongue, and she could feel it go all the way down into her stomach. Bonnie gripped the edge of the altar to keep herself from falling down. After the feeling past, she looked up at Damon.

He raised a brow. "Did it work?"

She shrugged, and picked up the dagger again. Bonnie made another cut in her palm. Damon opened his hand to reveal a cut, identical to hers, in his hand. "It worked." She said dryly.

It was just the beginning.


	2. Run, She Told Herself

**A/N: So sorry that this took so long! Honestly, when I started this, I wasn't sure where I was going with it. I just knew that I wanted to write it! So I've been a bit stuck on what to write, but I'm starting to figure out what I want to do. If it weren't for the wonderful response I got for the first chapter, I probably wouldn't continue this, but – wow. There were so many lovely comments, and so many people adding it to their favourite stories, that I thought it would be a sin not to give you more! **

**Anyway, I probably wrote and re-wrote this chapter ten times and I'm still not completely pleased with it, but here it is anyway! I hope you like! **

"I don't need a babysitter, Damon." Bonnie argued, standing in the doorway of her house with her arms crossed over her chest.

For the past ten minutes, she and Damon had been standing there arguing. Damon wanted to come in and stay, or for her to come to the boarding house. Apparently, he didn't trust her not to do anything stupid. What he didn't quite get that it wasn't just his life, it was hers too, and she wasn't going to die just to spite Damon. His argument was that dangerous things were lurking, and one might come to her, and then she'd need him there to help her. That made her angrier because she wasn't some damsel in distress.

"I know, but I don't feel completely safe knowing that whether I live or die, depends on you, so let me in." He was being stubborn. He was looking at her with those intense blue eyes as if he could compel her into inviting him into her house. She wouldn't invite him in in a hundred years.

She cocked her head to the side, scowling. "There's this thing called trust, Damon. Look it up." She couldn't handle it anymore; she took a step backward, and slammed the door shut. He stood there, yelling and banging for a minute before there was nothing but silence. She didn't even hear the sound of his footsteps fading. But there was something scratching at the back of her mind.

He's still here.

The empathy link that was put in place when they tied their lives to one another was beginning to come about. The longer she waited, leaning against the door, the more that she was sure that he was still here. She could feel him near, and she could feel his anger. Yeah, well, I hope he can feel my annoyance, she thought to herself, stomping upstairs and to her bedroom.

It had been a long and exhausting night with Damon. It was almost morning now; the rising sun gave the sky a red look. Stefan and Elena would be taking over the search party soon. Which meant that Bonnie could peacefully sleep until tonight when she had watch again. It was supposed to be watch with Jeremy, but the chances of that happening seemed slim now, what with Damon watching her like a hawk.

In the bathroom, Bonnie splashed water on her face, and scrubbed the blood from her hand. She reached into the medicine cabinet, and pulled out the bottle of alcohol, and a band aide. She carefully dressed the wound, wincing as the alcohol stung her hand. The sound of a knocking at her window made her roll her eyes. She smirked knowing that Damon felt that tiny moment of pain.

Her pajamas from last night were laying disregarded on the floor, so she quickly dressed in them, and then threw her dirty close from tonight in the laundry basket. She thought briefly about showering, but she was too tired. The spell had taken a lot out of her. Physically and mentally. And now she had to live with the torture of being bound to Damon for god-knows-how-long.

Out of the window in her bedroom, and out on the oak tree, was Damon. He was sitting on the branch that was level with her window, his legs stretched out in front of him. Annoyed, Bonnie stomped over to the window, and pushed it open. They looked at each other for a long time, Bonnie with a scowl, and Damon with a smirk before she spoke.

"This takes creepy to a whole new level, Damon." She called out.

He shrugged one shoulder. "You want to be stubborn, I can be stubborn too." He put his hands behind his head, making himself comfortable. "It's actually not that bad. I could stay out here all night."

"Good." She scoffed. "Because you're not coming in." Bonnie slammed the window shut, and drew the blinds so he couldn't see in. It was bad enough that he was intent on staying in her tree all night; she did not need him peeking in her windows and watching her sleep. She hopped into bed, and snuggled in under the blankets. She thought that her tiredness would take her right under, but it didn't.

The fact that Damon was right outside creeped her out. She thought briefly of inviting him in, but she was too stubborn, and she still probably wouldn't be able to sleep. She turned over, squinting her eyes in the darkness. Part of her thought that she should feel relatively safe, but that part was squished out by the fact that Damon was right outside her window.

Maybe showering would help her sleep. Bonnie threw the blankets off of her, and padded her way into the bathroom. She turned the shower on, quickly stripped, and then got in, letting the warm water wash over her body. She peeled the band aid from her hand, and reached outside the shower to let it drop in the garbage can. She would have to dress the wound again when she got back out.

The water was warm, soothing. She let it wash over her body for a long time, not wanting to move. Bonnie then massaged soap into her sore muscles, taking her time again. Her tiredness was beginning to come back. She yawned as she washed the dirt from her hair. When she was done, Bonnie looked at the shower door, not wanting to get out. Bonnie sat on the shower floor, pulling her knees up to her chest.

She could sit there forever. It was comfortable, and soothing, and the water felt good against her skin. She laid her head against the wall, closing her eyes. A distant part of her mind told her to get out, and go to bed, but she was so comfortable. In here, it felt like nothing could go wrong. This place was safe. Safe. Bonnie hugged her knees to her chest, sighing. She knew that she had to get out.

She got out, and put back on her pajamas. Bonnie brushed out her hair. She knew that if she left it un-brushed all night that it would look like hell in the morning, and she would never be able to get it brushed. The bed was warm now. It would be easier to sleep now. The girl cuddled down, and pulled the blanket up to her chin. Yes, this was better. The shower was a good idea.

In no time at all, she was snoring. And dreaming.

_She was falling. Falling. Everything around her was dark. There was no light anywhere. Bonnie was frantic. She turned over and over in the air like she was in a washing machine – BAM! She landed on something hard and cold. It knocked the wind out of her, so she lay there on her back for a while, just trying to catch her breath. Her mind was spinning, and there was a dull ache forming in her back from where she landed on it. _

_A light. A pale light flicked on, and it was shining down on her. She blinked, and sucked in air. She tried to look around, but the light was more of a spot light. It illuminated her, but nothing else. Everything was still covered in darkness, which meant that she still didn't know where she was. "Hello?" She managed to croak, but her voice was weak. If there was anyone around, she doubted that they heard that. _

_More lights came on then. She saw that she was lying in the center of what was a very large room. There were eight columns, two on each side. Each of them had something lying at the base; a stake, a pool of blood, a stethoscope, a voodoo doll, a Barbie doll, a crossbow, a toy truck, and a stuffed dog. Bonnie's head was spinning. What did were these things lying around for? It made no sense. _

_Then she looked to the front of the room, and almost screamed. At first, she thought that it was the grim reaper sitting on what looked like a throne. It still could be the grim reaper. Its face was covered with a dark hood, and it wore a black robe. All that she could see of it was its hands. They were pale, but they were large, and she barely registered the sun-walking ring on one of the fingers. _

"_Little witch," the voice echoed around her. It didn't sound like any normal voice. It was inhuman, and she seemed to hear it more in her head that around her. That wasn't right. _

_Bonnie knew that she couldn't lie on the ground. She stood shakily, and tilted her chin upward. "Who are you? Where am I?" She demanded, but it didn't sound very demanding. She was still too weak for demanding. _

_The voice laughed as if the question entertained it. "I am your past, present, and future. I am the destroyer of worlds, and the death of death."_

_Her brow furrowed. "That makes no sense." She complained. "Talk to me in English so I can understand you." She snapped, probably a little too harshly. There was no taking it back now. _

_Instead of getting angry, the thing just seemed amused. "I am what leads you into darkness. I am the force that turns you evil." Even though she couldn't see its face, she swore that it was smiling. "You will join me, little witch, and together we will take down the worlds. People will bow before us. We will be feared." _

_Her mind was running at an impossible speed. What was going on? There is nothing that could lead her into darkness. She was a good witch. A natural witch. She worked with nature, she did the bidding for her ancestors, she protected her friends. That was who she was. She was not dark and evil. She would not give up all of those things for darkness. Her eyes turned fiery as she looked at it. "You're lying." She said. _

"_Would I lie to you?" It seemed to ask itself more than her. "Possibly." It nodded. "But I am not lying about this. Join me, Bonnie Bennett, or watch your friends burn." The thing raised a finger, and pointed to the column with the stake under it. Blackness was started to swirl up the column. _

_And only one thought was going through her mind: Alaric. _

_Things started to click together. The figures at the foot of the columns represented something. Each one of them represented one of her friends. She didn't know how she knew it, she just did. And when the darkness reached the top of the column, one of her friends would turn into something like Liz did. It was Jeremy. That was the stake. She was filled with a cold dread. _

_Run, she told herself. Run, you have to go to Alaric. _

_And she ran. _

Bonnie shot straight up in bed, screaming. The dream was still fresh in her mind. The voice, the columns. Jeremy was in trouble if she didn't stop it. She jumped from the bed, and ran to the window. Bonne flung the curtains open to reveal Damon who had his fist up to the window as if he was about to knock. The sun was low in the sky, which meant that it was probably evening.

"We have to get to Alaric." She said, panting. "Something bad's happening."

Damon didn't even ask questions. He jumped from the tree, and was gone before she could blink. Bonnie turned to her closets, and hastily pulled on whatever she found first. She grabbed her cellphone off of the dresser before running downstairs. She flung the door open, and ran to Damon's car. He was nowhere to be seen, but the keys were in the ignition. She didn't even think twice about it.

She drove faster than she ever drove in her life. There was only one thing that concerned her right now, and that was saving Alaric. Bonnie pushed all thoughts of the voice out of her head. She would have to decipher it later. Yes. Later, once they made sure Alaric was safe, she would think about the dream and all the ways to prevent herself from becoming dark. Whatever that meant.

Once she was in front of Elena's house, she didn't even bother turning off the car. She jumped out, and ran inside. Everyone was gathered around the kitchen. And by everyone, she meant, Elena, Jeremy, Stefan, Damon, and Alaric. Caroline and Tyler were nowhere to be seen. Damon shot her an annoyed look, like she had wasted his time. But everyone else looked worried.

"He looks fine to me." Damon scoffed.

Bonnie shook her head. "Not for long." She said, panting. She was out of breath, and her head was hurting. Damon's words were making her second guess herself, but she quickly shook that off. She knew what she saw. She knew that Alaric was in trouble. It was a feeling she had deep in her gut. It didn't matter what Damon thought. He was the least of her problems right now.

"What did you see that would make you think like this, Bonnie?" Elena asked. "Was it a trance? A vision?

She swallowed. "A dream." She corrected.

"Oh, well, that settles it then! It was obviously true if it was in a_ dream._" Damon put in.

She ignored him. "All of you are in danger. This thing – it's planning on picking you off one by one. Sherriff Forbes was just the beginning. It's targeting us. And Alaric's first."

"You said its picking us off one by one," Stefan interrupted. "Not you?"

Bonnie closed her eyes. She was hoping that she wouldn't have to tell them about the rest of the dream, but she slipped. She considered talking her way out of it, but if no one else noticed that she was lying, Damon would. Stupid empathy link. She wanted to hit herself for putting that in. The thing obviously didn't want to kill her, so it was really unnecessary. Too bad that it was also really permanent.

She looked over to Damon whose eyes were narrowed suspiciously. She would have to tell him the truth, but the rest of them could be left in the dark. As if he understood her internal babble, he nodded a little. Bonnie let out a sigh of relief before looking back at her friends.

"All of us." She corrected. "It's targeting all of us. I don't know what it wants, and I don't know where it came from, but I know that it wants to kill us. There must be something he wants here. Something that we have." She tried to look like she was thinking hard about what that could be. Truthfully, she knew what it was. It wanted her.

Damon faced the crowd. "It could want the doppelgänger." He shot Elena a pointed look. "Her blood is useful for a lot of things. There could be some satanic ritual he wants her for."

The temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees.

"It could want Tyler. Hybrids are useful, too. And since he was the first made hybrid, he could have something about him that the thing needs." Stefan said, and put his hand over Elena's as if to comfort her.

Alaric looked green, but he suggested something as well. "What if it wants Bonnie? I mean, she comes from the Bennett bloodline, which is the most powerful line of witches, and sometimes she can channel her ancestor's powers. That would make her pretty valuable."

"It can't have Bonnie." Damon dismissed immediately. "Not when her life is tied to mine." He quickly added.

Stefan shook his head. "We should all just stay at the boarding house for now. We should stick together. It's big enough for all of us." He said, giving everyone a comforting, if not worried, look.

Even though she wanted to, she didn't argue.


	3. Selfless Heroines, the Three of Them

**A/N: Hi, everyone! I just wanted to address a few things before diving in to the story. A few of you have asked if I was planning on finishing **_**Restless. **_**Yes. I am planning on finishing both that and **_**Invasion. **_**I have been working on drafts for a couple of weeks now, actually, but I can't seem to get happy with them. I have a totally different writing style now compared to when I wrote those, and I'm trying to get back into that a little bit for them because I couldn't stand it if the stories were inconsistent. **

**But, yes. I will continue them. There should – hopefully – be another chapter up for each of them by this weekend. That's what I'm planning on. **

**And there was another awesome question that I wanted to address in case others had the same question. Someone asked me if Damon got his neck snapped, but then woke up again, would Bonnie die too and stay dead? The answer is: if Damon – godforbid – gets his neck snapped and dies, then he and Bonnie would both die. They would both stay dead. Bonnie's life is tied to Damon's and vice versa, and since Bonnie doesn't have vampire healing powers, she would not be able to come back from her neck being snapped, and neither would Damon. **

**I hope that makes some sense. If there are any more questions – and all are welcome – just send them my way, and I'll do my best to answer them! **

**Anyway, happy reading!**

Bonnie threw her overnight bag on the bed, and turned around to face Damon.

Since the scene at Elena's house, Damon had taken Bonnie home to gather her things. She got her bag and stuffed it full of everything that she would need. And then she had needed two more bags, which Damon was setting on the floor beside the door now. Neither of them had spoken much on the way from Elena's, or to here, but Damon kept giving her sidelong glances as if he was trying to unlock her secret.

Someone had called Caroline, and now everyone was either on their way here or already here. It was a good thing that the boarding house was so big because there'd be no way to fit them in otherwise. As far as she knew, everyone had their own room except for Caroline and Tyler, and Elena and Stefan. When they were leaving Elena's house, Damon had made it very clear that he was not sharing.

The only one that they were missing was Meredith. After thinking about the dream, it only made sense that she was one of the columns was for her. Who else would the stethoscope represent? Elena had tried contacting her, but her phone was off. Alaric had offered to go the hospital and look for her, but everyone told him that he wasn't allowed to leave. They finally decided that they would get her later.

Bonnie's new room was conveniently placed right across the hall from Damon's. She had tried to talk Stefan into letting her have his attic bedroom, but he just laughed heartily. Now, she was living across the hall from Damon without any boarders, which meant that he could pop in whenever he wanted to. She dreaded the thought, but it was obvious that he was not going to let her too far from his sight.

Especially after she told him what the creature really wants.

"Explain now." He said, making a gesture with his hand for her to begin. Damon was leaning against the door way, his arms crossed over his chest, and his head dipped.

Bonnie looked at the celling, and blew air out of her mouth. "This…thing, whatever it is, I know what it wants. It came to me in my dream, and its intentions were clear." She found his eyes and held them, waiting for him to connect the dots.

His brow was furrowed for a long time before he spoke. "You." He spoke the word slowly as the realization dawned on him. Damon thought for another moment before shaking his head. "What do you think he wants you for?" He asked carefully.

Bonnie shook her head, and sat on the edge of the bed. "I don't know. I wish I did, but I don't. Whatever it is, it can't be good. And I know that he's not going to stop killing people until I agree to…do whatever." She looked at him, allowing some helplessness to seep into her expression for a moment before she turned neutral again.

In all honesty, she was a little bit scared. She was allowed that, wasn't she? She knew that people admired her for her bravery and her sense of duty, but she couldn't help being frightened sometimes. Lightning frightened her. Rats frightened her. Not being in control frightened her. Failing the school year and having her father ship her to wherever frightened her. What didn't frighten her was death – she had already died once, right? – but she didn't think that this monster wanted death, and that frightened her.

Damon shrugged and straightened as if this was no big deal. "We'll just have to figure out a way around it." He cast her one of his calculating sidelong glances before leaving the room, and shutting the door behind him.

Bonnie couldn't just sit there and think. She didn't want to think right now. She had to keep busy, keep moving. She went over to her suit cases, and carried them over to the bed. Now, she would keep herself busy by putting her things way; trying to make this place homier. And later she would go check on Caroline. And after that she would go see if Elena needed help with anything. She had taken it upon herself to make sure everyone was comfortable.

She would never be truly comfortable in this room, but at least she could try. Bonnie pulled a quilt out of her bag – it was the only thing she had of her mother. It was itchy and pink with ducks on it. Some of the ducks were misshapen. Her father told her that her mother knitted the quilt herself, and that was why it wasn't very pretty. But it was pretty to Bonnie. It was something that tied her to her childhood and her mother.

She folded it, and stuffed it under the pillows on the bed. That's where she kept it at home, that's where she would keep it here. Bonnie unpacked the books from the smallest bag, and went over to the small bookshelf. She stacked them in alphabetical order, and took a step back. Bonnie studied it, and nodded to herself. The books that she brought that weren't grimoires were on the top shelf, and the grimoires were on the second.

But she was still holding her journal. She clutched it tightly to her chest before going over and stuffing it under the mattress. She had had the book since she was little, and rarely wrote in it, but she still liked to have it around. There was something comforting about it. It contained bits and pieces of her childhood, some of which she had probably forgotten.

Thanks to Damon, she had the biggest room other than his. She didn't need it. She tried to convince him to let Caroline and Tyler have it since there were two of them, but there was no arguing with him. He wanted her right across the hall where he could keep a close eye on her. Caroline and Tyler's room was at the end of the hallway, and Damon told her that it would never do.

The bathroom was small, but at least she had one. There were two more on this floor, and everyone agreed that Caroline and Tyler could have the one beside their bedroom, and Jeremy, Alaric, and Matt would share the other one. Bonnie set her shower gels on the shelf in the shower that doubled as a bath. She stocked the medicine cabinet and the shelf above the toilet with her stuff, too.

The closet was also small, but it was big enough for her. She didn't have that many clothes. The one at her house was bigger, but she didn't use half of it. And she didn't use this entire one now because in her rush, she didn't bring that many clothes. Three full outfits and a couple of pairs of pajamas. Someone – probably Damon – would have to "escort" her back to her house so that she could grab more clothes.

She had thought to bring pictures. Bonnie had taken down the ones that she had taped to her mirror back home. She put them on the mirror of her vanity now. There were so many of them. So many memories. So many things that happened that would never again. Bonnie touched a picture of her Elena and Caroline in their cheerleader's uniforms. That seemed so far away now.

It was so far away now. It was a lifetime away. The girls in the picture didn't even look familiar. They looked like strangers. Did those girls know what would become of them? Did they even think of the possibility of things outside the norm? No, they didn't. They all lived in their own little bubble, oblivious to everything that didn't involve them. How selfish they once were.

They weren't anymore. Once they were, but selfishness was not a choice of lifestyle for them anymore. They had to be selfless. Even when they didn't want to. Bonnie wondered if they were always selfless, just subtly so. Did any of their actions then predict what they all would become? Selfless heroines, the three of them. Girls who sacrificed themselves every day for the greater good.

If she went back in time and asked them, would they think that they had it in them?

No, she didn't think that they would.

She turned away, unable to look at the photos any longer. Those were just reminders of the past. Of what could have been, and what never could be. Those pictures weren't of her, she recognized. They were of a girl who wanted the world and got handed a death sentence. That girl was not her. That girl was someone who she used to know, someone who she would never be again.

If she could go back and do it all over differently, would she?

The answer was simple. She didn't even have to think about it. She wouldn't do anything differently. She would not veer the girl she was off of the path that she was on. Even if she knew a head of time of her misfortune, she would do it all the same. Because it was the right thing to do. Even thought that Bonnie had her selfish moments, she knew what was right from wrong. And she would never betray her friends.

She quickly unpacked the rest of her things. The room was strangling her with its silence. She had to be out around people, or she might start crying. Bonnie didn't like to cry, even in her room. Because she knew that even though no one could see her, they would be able to hear her sobs. This house was full of vampires, after all. And she didn't want any of them hearing her cry. She would be strong.

_I am a lion-hearted girl,  
My skin is made of steel_

Bonnie stopped in her tracks and blinked twice. Where had that come from? Those lines that just went through her mind seemed too familiar. Like she had heard them many times before. But the more she thought about, the more the answer slipped away from her. The words weren't just words to her, she knew that. A chill went up her spine. She would figure it out later.

Bonnie practically ran down the stairs and into the living room. Elena and Caroline occupied one of the couches, but other than that, the room was empty. And Caroline was crying. She could hear her friend's cries from where she stood in the doorway. Bonnie frowned, and made her way over to the couch. Without word, she sat on Caroline's other side, and put one arm around her.

The blonde turned to her, and wiped tears from her eyes. "Oh, Bonnie!" She hugged her tightly, burying her face in Bonnie's shoulder. "I was so worried about you. I was going to call last night, but Elena told me that you probably needed some time to process the fact that your life depends on Damon." She said in a rush, and then pulled back. "You're okay, though? Tell me you're okay."

She tried to smile, but she knew that they would be able to see through it. "It's weird, I'll admit, but I'm okay." She rubbed She tried to smile, but she knew that they would be able to see through it. "It's weird, I'll admit, but I'm okay." She rubbed her friend's arm. "But I'm not important right now. What about you?"

Caroline was crying again. She was trying very hard not to, but it wasn't working. "I'm not okay, Bonnie. I know, it's been over a week, and I should be getting better, but I'm not." She was right out sobbing by then. "She was my mom, Bonnie. My dad's dead. She was all I had left."

She tried to imagine how Caroline felt. Sometimes she would think about what it would be like if someone told her that her mother died. Sure, it would be sad, but Bonnie hadn't known her mother. She would be sad for a while, but she wouldn't be grieving like Caroline was. She told herself that she would care if her mother was dead, but would she? She wouldn't miss her. She didn't even know her name.

There was no way that Bonnie could empathize with Caroline. She could try, but she couldn't truly reach down to the level she was at. Elena would have to help her with that. Elena had lost her mother, and her father. The witch felt a twinge of regret, like she was being left out on something. She hugged Caroline again because there was nothing else that she could do.

"It's alright to be sad, Caroline." She said when she pulled back. "I would be worried about you if you weren't grieving. She was your mother. It's natural."

Caroline sobbed again, and buried her face in her hands. When she looked back up at Bonnie, she saw that the blonde's face was smudged with mascara. "When I left the house that night," she said in a voice so quiet Bonnie had to strain to hear. "We were fighting. The last thing I told her was that I hated her." She squeaked, and the sobbed again. "She died thinking that I hated her, Bonnie! How am I supposed to live like that?"

"No, she didn't. She knew that you loved her, Caroline. She always did." Elena whispered softly, brushing some hair that was wet from tears from Caroline's face.

Bonnie nodded. "You two have always fought. For as far back as I can remember, you two were fighting. You always wanted to be in charge. You always wanted to have things you way." She smiled a little.

Caroline nodded, not speaking.

She poked her friend in the shoulder playfully. "Do you remember when we were five years old? We were at the park, and your mother came over and said it was time to leave. And you stood up, put your hands on your hips, pointed your finger at her, and said 'I'll leave when I'm ready'. You two got in this huge argument, and you were just a little girl."

She made a noise that was somewhere between a laugh and a cry. "Yeah, I remember."

"Well, do you remember ten minutes later when your mother got you an ice cream, and you told you that you'd love her forever?" Bonnie was speaking softly and slowly, her voice soothing and comforting. "The point is that you mother loved you no matter what, and she knew that you loved her no matter what." She said. "You've always had a flare for dramatics, Caroline. Your mother knew that 'I hate you' meant that 'I'm angry with you right now, but I'll always love you.'"

Caroline hugged her again, sobbing and laughing on her shoulder. They sat like that for a long time before the blonde pulled back. "You're my best friend, Bonnie." She said, and then looked at Elena over her shoulder. "No offence or anything." And Bonnie got a flash of the old Caroline.

The three of them laughed. Their laughter seemed to go on forever. It echoed through the living room – through the whole house, probably. Everyone probably thought that they were lunatics. Maybe they were. She wouldn't blame any of them. They were all basically parentless. They were stuck in the whirlwind where nothing made sense and nothing was what it once was.

Everything was different now. Every law that they grew up with didn't matter. All of their lives were hanging by a thread. They had to live with the fact that they could die any day. They had to live with the fact that their friends could die any day. How were they supposed to handle that? So far they had mostly shoved it inside, and kept it locked away so no one would know their feelings.

But everything was always changing. And they sat, laughing and crying for lives lost and loves gained. They cried for their families. They cried for every casualty this far. They cried for the casualties that were to come. They cried for who they used to be, for who they'll never be again. For bridges burned, and paths destroyed. For times spent lying awake wondering if death was coming for them.

They laughed because they were still alive. Despite every rock that life threw at them, they were still alive. They had all died once. None of them were alone on that front. But they had come back from it. They had come back stronger, angrier, and prepared to continue fighting. And that's what they always would do. Death could come, and death could try to take them, but it would never get them.

Not until they were done with what they had to do.


	4. Sugar-Free Strawberry Protein Bars

**A/N: Oh, God, I haven't updated in forever. I'm so sorry. I've been swamped with exams and schoolwork, and I barely had time to sleep, let alone write. Let's just all take a moment and thank the Lord that tomorrow is my last day of school, and then I can spend the whole summer writing. It's amazing, isn't it? **

**Anyway, here's chapter four, and again, I'm so, so sorry about leaving you all hanging like that. You must hate me. But I hope that you can get over that hate and enjoy this chapter! **

Bonnie rolled over in her sleep – and then stopped. She had hit something warm, something soft, something that wasn't just blanket. Confused, she opened her eyes, blinked a few times, and looked up into the snarky face of none other than Damon. Her own personal body guard. She groaned, rolling back over onto her other side, and throwing her arm over her eyes. Maybe if she ignored him, then he would go away. But he didn't. After a few minutes of lying there, pretending to sleep, she rolled onto her back, and glared at him.

"What are you doing?" She demanded in a scratchy voice, still thick with sleep and exhaustion.

He lifted one shoulder in a mock shrug. "Elena told me to come and wake you up, but you just looked so peaceful I couldn't do it." He gave her a smile that made her want to hit him.

Instead, she just rolled her eyes. "How long ago did she tell you this?" Bonnie pulled herself into a sitting position, though her body protested. It felt like she had been dead for years – her body was stiff and her head was spinning with the bright lights of the room. All of the magic and dreaming that she'd been doing left her completely drained. She wished that she could just go to sleep and stay that way for years. Or at least until she felt somewhat better.

His brow furrowed as if he were thinking about the question. "Probably a half an hour ago." He nodded to himself, pleased with his answer, and then turned back to Bonnie who was giving him a skeptical look. "Okay, I could care less about your peace, but Elena is driving me crazy. I had to get away."

She sighed, pushing off of the bed. "Get out," she ordered him when she was standing in the bathroom doorway. "Tell Elena that I'll be down as soon as I shower."

"Maybe I should stay…" he trailed off, giving her one of his signature smirks. "You know, in case you drown in the shower." It was a quick movement, but she didn't miss his tongue sneaking out of his mouth and tracing his bottom lip.

She gave him a disgusted look. "You are the last person in the world that I would even consider…" she couldn't finish the sentence, so she just made an irritated sound in the back of her throat, and slammed the bathroom door, ignoring the laughter that filled her bedroom.

She didn't dare undress until she heard her bedroom door click shut. Then she let out a relived breath, shed her slick-with-sweat pajamas, and stepped into the shower. The water at first was cold, making her dance around to avoid the spray, but eventually it warmed up. Bonnie then stood under the water, hugging her chest, and letting the warmth fill every bit of her.

Last night had gone by boringly. No one had talked much at all. Matt and Tyler had tried to cheer up everyone by cracking jokes, and acting a fool. It had made her smile that they were being so considerate, but in all honesty, they weren't very funny. It was good that they were trying to keep the girls entertained. They were wonderful friends for doing so. But Bonnie had gotten annoyed once Damon stormed in and made snarky comments every ten seconds, so she went to bed early.

Eventually, Alaric had gotten a hold of Meredith. She had been over for a couple of hours as they explained their situation, but she didn't stick around. Even through everyone's protests, she had just waved it off and told them that she was in no immediate danger, which is why she would be fine at her apartment. She had promised to call if anything strange happened, and then she had left, telling Alaric that she'd be by tomorrow after work.

Bonnie didn't blame her about wanting to go home. She would rather have been stuck in her house than at the boarding house. But she was the last person who was going to be allowed to leave. Damon would probably let Alaric leave before he let her leave. And that just annoyed her further. She hated being treated like some helpless little puppy dog. She was not helpless. And she was in no danger whatsoever. She should be allowed to go home.

So, she was stuck in the boarding house. She was glad to have her friends around her, though. They were what would make this thing bearable.

But even they would not be able to take away the awkward tension that lingered between her and Jeremy. All the time she was up, he kept looking at her out of the corner of his eyes, and opening his mouth as if he was going to say something. But he never did. He always just shook his head sadly, and looked away from her in the end. Bonnie had been sitting there clutching the couch all night. Thinking of it still hurt.

She shook the thoughts from her mind, and started washing herself. Thank God that she'd remembered to bring some of her shampoo. She couldn't imagine trying to wash with whatever Damon had tried to offer her. Bonnie scratched the shampoo into her hair, making sure to get it all the way through. Already, the scent of strawberries was filling her nose and she smiled. After she had her hair rinsed, she went about working the body wash into her exhausted muscles, determined that it would help.

And she had to admit, when she stepped out of the shower, she was feeling a little better. She was more awake, and the world around her didn't seem so blurry and surreal. Bonnie dried herself, and then allowed herself to glance at her appearance in the mirror. There were dark circles under her eyes, and she looked paler than normal, but it was much better compared to last night.

She would have to take it easy on the magic from now on. That spell, binding herself to Damon, took every part of her. It was dark magic that she usually didn't tamper with. And because it was so foreign, her body reacted differently. Usually, when she used light magic, it left her feeling empowered and strong. It made her feel like she could take one the world and win. Dark magic did the exact opposite.

She brushed out her unruly curls, and then wrapped herself in a towel just in case Damon decided that he would sneak back into her bedroom. When she went in, though, the room was deserted. She went over to the door and slid the lock shut, and then let her towel fall to the floor. She shivered at the coldness of the room around her at first, but then continued to pad over to her closet.

Just as she was about to look for clothes, she heard the dull ring of her cell phone. Her eyebrows furrowed, and she ventured back into the bedroom. Who would be calling her? Everyone was already here. But then her heart fell into her toes. Her father. It had to be. Her phone was lying disregarded on the floor beside her bed. It must have fallen off the bed sometime in the night. She reached down and picked it up.

"Bonnie!" It was her dad, alright, and he didn't sound too happy.

She bit down on her lip, and fell onto the bed. "Hi, Dad," she said, praying that he wasn't at home. If he was home, then he would know that she wasn't there. And then it would be bye-bye Mystic Falls and hello some boarding school in the middle of nowhere. It was safe to say that her heart was beating very quickly at this point.

"I tried calling the house, but there was no answer." His tone was disapproving, as if he expected her to be waiting by the phone every minute of every day just in case he called.

She sighed. "I just woke up." Bonnie couldn't stop the irritation that seeped into her voice. "You probably called when I was asleep."

He made an 'oh' sound, and then in a much calmer tone he said, "how is your studying coming along?"

She wanted to say,_ my studying is non-existent because I had to tie my life to a homicidal vampire because there's a new threat in town that is going to kill everyone if I don't stop it. _But she couldn't say that to her father, so she forced herself to sound pleased. "Good! I talked to Mr. Saltzman, and he really thinks that I'll be able to pass this exam if I keep working this hard."

"That's great dear," he said in a distracted voice. And then she heard him mumble something to someone before he came back. "I have to go, but I wanted to tell you that I'm flying home tomorrow. I won't be there for long – probably just a week." He paused, but didn't give her the chance to say anything. "I have to go now, honey. Keep working on that studying." And then he hung up.

_Damn it, _she thought, clicking the phone off and throwing it on her bed. This wasn't good. Not with Damon watching her every move, and her dad coming home tomorrow for a week. How was this supposed to work? She was dead. She was deader than dead. If Damon didn't kill her, then her father would. Maybe she would just kill herself and save everyone the trouble.

She ordered herself to stop thinking like that as she went back over to the closet.

There wasn't much of a choice, but she was able to pick out a pair of jeans and an over-large t-shirt that hung to her mid-thigh. She would surely have to go back home and get more clothes. Bonnie paused with her hand on the doorknob, wondering if she should bother with makeup. In the end, she didn't, and she pushed out of her bedroom, and into the lonely hallway.

Everyone was gathered in the kitchen, scarfing down eggs and other breakfast foods. At the smell, she crinkled her nose and her stomach made a protesting sound. She knew that she should eat, but she wasn't sure how her body would react if she tried. Elena looked up when she entered, gave her a small smile, and then went back to scrubbing at dishes.

Bonnie frowned at that, but said nothing. She perched herself on a stool next to Caroline and then Damon – being Damon – slid on to the one on her other side. He was pushing a plate of food toward her, piled high with eggs and ham. She bit down on her lip and looked away from it. This dark magic thing was definitely messing with her stomach.

"You need to eat something," he said in a tone that implied that he actually cared what she did and didn't do. But then, in a much nastier tone, he added, "we wouldn't want you starving to death and killing us."

She sneered at him. "You don't own me."

"Come on, Bonnie, you should really try to eat something," Caroline interjected before Damon could make another snarky comment. "When was the last time you ate? Yesterday? The day before?"

In the end, she lost the argument, and pulled the plate back toward her. And it turned out that the pains in her stomach were actually hunger pains. She tore through the food like a wide animal, getting a pleased nod from Damon, which she abruptly ignored.

"I don't see why we needed to come to the _grocery store._" Damon said the words like they were vial things. He scrunched his nose, and looked down at Bonnie.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Because most of us are humans, which means we need to eat." She pointed out, her eyes scanning the cereal on the shelf. Each person back home had given them very specific, very expensive things to get. She had a list about three pages long in her hands.

"Still," he said as he watched her throw things in the kart. "I don't see why _we_ had to come."

Bonnie shot him an annoying look before pushing the kart further down the aisle, Damon on her trail. "_We _didn't have to go. _I _wanted to go to help out Elena. _You_ came because you have deep-rooted trust issues." She snapped, letting him hear the annoyance in her voice. It was only the third day, and he was already attached to her hip. She already wanted to set him on fire, and she would, but that would cause her to have a very painful death.

Now, Bonnie gripped the handle of the kart, and pushed the thoughts out of her mind. She had more important things to think about than Jeremy. She watched as Damon picked things off of shelves as they walked through the store. He threw them in the kart without even glancing at her. "What are you doing?" She asked eventually, arching one eyebrow.

He glanced at her as if just realizing that she was there. "What?" He asked. "I'm not allowed to eat, too?"

She leaned over, and picked up one of the things that he had thrown in. "Licorice?" She asked. "I didn't think that you liked sweets."

Instead of making the sarcastic comment that she was expecting, he just shrugged. "Only black, though." He took the bag of sweets from her hands, and ripped it open. He took one, and bit into it, and then tried to hand one to Bonnie who scrunched her nose. "What?" He asked, his mouth full. "Don't like it?"

She sighed, and took it from it. "No, it's my favourite. But this is technically stealing." Bonnie looked at the candy in her hand and sighed. She couldn't believe that she actually had something in common with Damon. She bit into it, and smiled a little. It had been so long since she had something sweet. The witch looked up to see Damon looking at her with gentle eyes. The moment their eyes met, though, he looked quickly away and headed down the aisle.

"I found it!" Elena came bounding down the aisle, waving a box of something in the air. "Sugar-free, strawberry protein bars." She sighed, and tossed it in the cart.

"With chocolate drizzle?" Bonnie read over the list, and then raised an eyebrow at her friend.

Elena picked up the box again, and looked like she was going to cry. "I'm so going to kill Caroline." She mumbled as she turned away. "Vampires don't even need to eat."

When she was well out of ear shot, Bonnie let out a little snort, and shook her head. "I think all of this stress is getting to her." She glanced up at Damon who had taken the list from her hands and was now looking over it.

He nodded absentmindedly. "No one asked her to take on the role of mama bear." He commented dryly. A little to dryly to be talking about Elena. Whenever Damon talked about Elena, he talked about her in that voice that was so obvious that he was in love with her. He put her down a lot, but he never put her down in a dry voice.

But he was right, of course. Elena was running around like a mad woman making sure that everyone was comfortable, that everyone had what they needed. Bonnie thought that she went around to each person last night asking if there was anything that she could get them. She was acting like a mother, and not the kind, supportive mother, either. The kind of mother that tried to smother her children to death with love.

She shouldn't have to feel like she had to take care of everyone, though. She was in as much trouble as the rest of them, and she shouldn't have the extra stress on her shoulders. But Elena was taking care of them because that's who Elena was. She wanted to make sure that everyone else was safe before she could feel safe. It kind of annoyed Bonnie, but that's who her friend was.

Damon glanced back at the kart that was almost full. "How much is this going to cost?" He asked, arching an eyebrow. He turned his cool gaze to her.

Bonnie shrugged. "A lot."

"And I suppose that you're not going to let me compel the cashier into giving us this stuff?" He asked as they turned down another isle.

She shook her head, fighting back a laugh. "Not a chance."

"Then I hope you're paying for it.


	5. My Thoughts Mine, and Yours, Yours

**A/N: I kept meaning to update this, but it always slipped my mind. And then when I finally got around to trying—no inspiration. But I've watched and re-watched Bamon scenes and fan-videos, so I'm hoping that that helped me stay on track again. **

**As always, I hope you guys enjoy this! Don't forget that reviews keep me inspired to write more! **

"He's not coming in." Bonnie stood in the doorway of her house, her arms crossed over her chest.

Damon and Stefan stood on the other side, and Elena and Caroline were behind her. Just because her life was tied to Damon's didn't mean that she had to trust him. She didn't trust him, in fact. Maybe, if it were just her, she would let him in. But it's wasn't just her—it was her father, too. And though she knew Damon wouldn't hurt her, she didn't want to take the chance with her father. She eyed the blue-eyed vampire on the other side of the door.

"Bonnie, you have to be reasonable here," that was Caroline. She reached over and touched her friend's arm lightly, and when the witch looked over to her, she saw an apologetic smile on her face.

She shrugged. "I am being reasonable. I said that _you_ could stay here until my father leaves. See? Compromise."

"Well, compromise more, and invite me in—"

"No."

They were glaring at each other then—fire and fire. Bonnie balled her hands into fists at her sides, and it took all of her strength not to give him a couple dozen aneurysms. The only thing holding her back was the fact that whatever happened to him, happened to her, and she didn't feel like killing them both today. Although… No. No, she wasn't going to kill them both today. She scoffed, refusing to drop eye contact first.

"The thing is, Bonnie, I don't trust Caroline with _my _life. If it was just you, then I wouldn't care if anyone stayed here. But, newsflash, it's not just you—it's me. And I'm the only one who I can trust to protect me."

"I don't care if you trust Caroline or not, Damon, because I do. I trust her way more than I trust you."

Damon opened his mouth as if he was going to say something else, but then he shut it. His head perked up, and his eyes narrowed, and in the next second, an almost cruel grin spread across his lips. "Daddy's home. I'll just have to get him to invite me in. Maybe I'll compel him to go away and never come back while I'm at it."

Bonnie couldn't stop her jaw from dropped. He wouldn't. No, she corrected herself, of course he would. It was Damon. And now she could hear the crunch of gravel under the tires of a car. She probably had twenty seconds before her father saw the house—and the gathering of vampires on the doorstep. That was when she deflated. She couldn't win. "Fine. Damon, come in. The rest of you, get lost before my dad sees you."

And she turned on her heals, marching up the stairs before anyone could say anything else to her. She didn't have to be looking to know that Damon would be wearing a self-satisfied smirk. It was almost as if she could feel it. And then, more than ever, she wished that there wasn't that damn empathy link between them. She wanted Damon gone. But she knew that was a lost wish. He'd be around until this…whatever it is was over, and she found a way to break the tie.

She slammed her bedroom door behind her, falling onto her bed. In the next moment, the door opened again, and Damon was standing there, taking in his surroundings. She glared at him, pushing herself into a sitting position. He was wandering around her room at this point, touching things, studying things. Her eyebrows were furrowed, but she said nothing. When he opened one of her drawers, though, she used her powers to slam it shut, almost catching his fingers.

He turned to her, smirking. "Underwear drawer?"

Instead of answering, she rolled her eyes. "Stop touching things. You're not exactly welcome here, Damon, so be a good guest and don't annoy me."

He was going to say something, but the sound of her father's footsteps cut him off. "Bonnie! I'm home!" She could hear him coming up the stairs now, and she gestured for Damon to get lost. To her surprise, though, when she looked over to where he was standing, he was already gone. Good. Bonnie quickly grabbed her book off of the nightstand, and laid across the bed with it propped open—pretending to read.

That was when her father cracked the door open and poked his head in. "Hey, Bonnie. Studying hard?"

She grinned, nodding. "I think this is my fourth time reading through this book, but I didn't want to miss anything, just in case." A lie, obviously. She hadn't opened the book since the night that she and Damon's lives became intertwined. But, the good thing about her father never being home was that he didn't know the difference. For all he knew, his daughter's life wasn't in the hands of homicidal vampire, and the world wasn't about to end.

He nodded at that, pleased, yet distracted as he looked at his phone and cursed lightly. "Good, good. Look—I've got lots of work to do tonight so I won't be around much, but keep up that studying and we can go out for something to eat tomorrow, alright?" And he didn't even wait for her answer before he turned on his heels and left, shutting the door behind him.

The mattress under her shifted with the weight of another body, and Bonnie looked next to her to see Damon lying there. "He seems like a real jerk. You sure you don't want me to compel him to leave and never, ever come back? Keep in mind that I wouldn't do this for just anyone, but I feel obligated to look out for your best interests."

_Please shut up, _she thought, mainly to herself.

"Shutting up isn't one of my best talents," he said, examining his nails distractedly.

She raised her eyebrows at him. "What?"

His eyes met hers then, and he waved his hand like she was an annoying fly that he was trying to swat away. "You said: please shut up, and I—"

"No, Damon," she cut him off, pushing herself into a sitting position. "I didn't _say _please shut up, I thought it."

That caught his interest. His eyebrows knitted together, and he cocked his head to the side. _Can you hear this? _

It was strange. It sounded just like he had spoken in her ear, but she had been watching his lips and they hadn't moved. They had just communicated through thoughts, which meant— "Oh no." Bonnie groaned, putting her head in her hands. Had she mentioned how much she really hated this stupid link? Because she did. It was one thing to have to feel whatever Damon did, but now she could read his mind, too? She felt like banging her head against the wall.

"At least we'll be able to communicate without having a hundred different pairs of ears on us."

"_That's _what you're getting out of this? We no longer have any ounce of privacy—we're completely exposed to each other. I don't know about you, but I want to keep my thoughts mine, and yours, yours." She crossed her arms over her chest, fixing him with a hard glare.

He nodded as if considering her words, but then he just shrugged. "I was worried that you were going to hold back on me, anyway. At least this way I know everything you know, and you know everything I know." That was when he turned completely serious—looking at her with pointed eyes. "If it comes down to a fight, Bonnie, this is just another advantage we have." _Plus,_ he thought, _now I can really know if you've ever had any dirty thoughts about me. _

"You're disgusting," she said aloud.

"It works both ways, y'know." He arched his eyebrows, crossing his arms over his chest.

She blinked, but didn't falter. "Yeah, well, I doubt it. And try to keep your dirty thoughts about Elena to a minimum, eh?" She had meant it to be somewhat teasingly, but it came out harsh and short.

That stopped him. His lips pursed into a thin, pale line, and he dropped eye-contact. And that caught her interest. She cocked her head, listening to his line of thoughts for a moment before letting out a low breath.

"You had a fight?" She asked. When he didn't say anything, she concentrated again. "Oh—_oh_." Honestly, she didn't know what to say in this situation. Was she supposed to comfort him? Apparently, he had kissed Elena and she had turned him down once and for all. It explained the cruel tone he had used when talking about her yesterday. But she didn't know what she was supposed to do, so she just sat there, watching him uneasily.

"I re-thought it, and I decided you're right—this mind reading thing sucks."

—

_She was filled with a cold dread. It was like ice spreading through her veins, and she hugged her arms around her stomach in an attempt to keep herself from falling apart. Glancing around her, she discovered that she was standing in a forest—barefoot and in her pajamas. Great. If there was one thing she hated, it was dreams of her walking around in the woods because she usually ended up waking up on the ground somewhere. _

_A scream jostled her out of her thoughts, and she looked around her, trying to find the source. _

_There was a blur of motion in front of her, and her dream-self followed it, despite how much she knew that was a bad idea. And she spent a few minutes wandering aimlessly through the trees before they fell away and she found herself standing at the edge of a clearing. This time, the scream came from her own mouth. _

_In the middle of the clearing was a pile of bodies. But not just any bodies—the bodies of her friends; Elena, Caroline, Matt, Tyler, Jeremy, Stefan, Alaric, and Meredith were all lying there, lifeless and bloody. She was so distressed by the sight of it that her brain didn't even register the fact that there was one person missing. Damon. She just stared at the pile as her scream died away—unable to move, or do anything more than breathe. It took all her energy to stay on her feet. _

"_This is what will happen, Bonnie, to the people you love if you do not accept me. You must let me in." It was that same voice from her other dream, and it was coming from inside of her head instead of around her. _

"_I—how?" _

_She didn't see it, but it was almost as if she could feel the thing smile. "Meet me in this exact location tomorrow at midnight. Do not think of bringing that vampire of yours. If I so much as sense his presence, everyone will die."_

_She was about to say something else, but the pile of bodies in the center of the clearing burst into flames. And then she was screaming again, and a cruel, cold laughter was booming through her head. _

Bonnie flew upward in bed—only to have her forehead connect with Damon's. Both of them cursed, and she heard him stumbled backwards. Her hand went to her head, rubbing it, and glaring at the vampire through the darkness of her bedroom. "What are you doing in here? I told you to stay in the guest room." Of course that was what she was worried about. Why he was in her bedroom, and not the dream she had just awoken from.

"I was _sleeping, _but then I felt something strange, and the next thing I know I was seeing…" He trailed off, and she knew that those intense blue eyes were examining her face, even though she couldn't see it.

Suddenly cold despite the layer of sweat that had covered her body, Bonnie hugged herself. She didn't answer him—she didn't know how. He would already know whatever she could've told him. And she could've said that it was just a dream, but that was a lie. It wasn't just a dream—it was a warning. She was getting really tired of these warnings and this mysterious dark thing that liked to mess with her mind.

There was a sigh, and he flicked the bedroom light on. "C'mon—we're going back to the boarding house."

"But—"

"No, Bonnie," he cut her off, "no if, ands, or buts. You're going to come willingly, or I'm going to drag you out of this house kicking and screaming. I'm done compromising. We'll figure out what to do with your dad tomorrow, but right now, you're going to get dressed, and we're going to go back and wake up the others and tell them what happened."

Her natural instinct was to tell him off—tell him to go to hell, say that he couldn't boss her around like he owned her—but she was tired and still shaken from the dream. Later she would give him hell for this. Right now, though, she rose from the bed and made her way over to the bathroom, grabbing some clothes from her closet before she did. Once she was in the bathroom, she heard the bedroom door click shut, and listened until Damon's footsteps disappeared down the hall.

She peeled herself out of her sticky nightgown, and pulled on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. She was just realizing it now, but as she looked in the mirror, she saw that it was one of Jeremy's sweatshirts that she had forgotten to give back. Her heart clenched in her chest. She could've cried then, but, honestly, she was tired of crying. She was tired of being weak—and she was tired in general. So she left the bathroom, and then the bedroom, and headed for the stairs.

"Dad!"

She didn't know what she was seeing. She didn't know if she was hallucinating, or if what was in front of her was real. But she heard herself scream for her father, and then she felt her feet propelling her forward. Forward—towards her father who was hanging by a rope from the ceiling fan in the living room. She didn't get very far, though, because as soon as she stepped off of the stairs, she felt strong arms go around her waist, holding her back.

"Dad!" She screamed again, fighting against Damon with every ounce of her strength. "No! Daddy! Daddy, please—Damon let me go! Dad!" Somewhere between the screaming and the fighting, tears had begun falling down her cheeks.

"Bonnie," Damon whispered against her ear in the most gentle of voices. "Bonnie—calm down. Bonnie, just listen to me. Stop for a minute, alright. Bonnie—Bonnie, breathe. Listen to me. Just breathe."

She had stopped thrashing because it was pointless. There was no way she was going to break free of his grip, and there was no reason to, anyway. Her father was dead—his face was blue and his tongue was hanging out of her mouth. Just looking at him made her want to throw up. But she didn't stop crying. She was crying hysterically now as she collapsed against Damon who never moved his arms away.

And she wasn't sure how long they were standing there. Bonnie had eventually looked away, but she didn't move out of Damon's grasp. She didn't think that she could stand up if she did. So they just stood there, her sobs slowly dying away into hysterical hiccups and whimpers.

And the next thing she knew, Caroline was speeding through the door with Stefan and Elena on her heels. He seemed a little reluctant to let her go, but Bonnie was soon in Caroline's arms with Elena hovering over them. Stefan said something to the two girls that Bonnie didn't quite catch, and soon they were propelling her out of her house. It all happened so fast, and Bonnie turned her head just in time to catch Damon's eyes.

_Thank you, _she thought, though, she didn't know what she was thanking him for.

**A/N: I know this wasn't as long as my usual ones, but sometimes you just have to stop, y'know. When it's done, it's done, and there's no use trying to squeeze anymore out. But, I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless, and fingers crossed that I'll be able to update again soon! **


	6. He Realized Two Things that Night

**A/N: I wish I could be one of the writers that updated weekly, but if I have something done and ready to post, I get very impatient. And if one week's up and I haven't wrote anything, then I can't force it out. But I am going to try updating more regularly. (Yeah right.) I hope you guys enjoyed the last chapter—can you believe I killed Bonnie's dad? I didn't even see that coming. It was originally meant to be Alaric, but it felt too impersonal for what I wanted to do.—and continue to enjoy all the chapters that come. **

Damon was relatively good at thinking up plans in tough situations.

But could he think of what to do with the body of a six-foot tall, African-American man? No. He was really just marveling at the fact that Bonnie's dad was so…_big _while she was so little. Really. The guy looked like he could give the hulk a run for his money. When he had always pictured Bonnie's dad, he pictured someone small and weasel-like and not at all like the man who was hanging from the ceiling in front of him.

He also contributed part of his uselessness in the moment to Bonnie's grief that was clouding his mind. It was all he could think of, and there was a pain spreading through his entire body, making him want to clutch at his insides to make sure they weren't going to fall out. Now, Damon was no stranger to pain. But this pain was different. It was taking up his entire being, and all he could really think about doing in the moment was going to check on Bonnie.

But he knew that she was just going through the motions of grief, and not actually physically hurt. Because he could feel her there, on the edge of his mind, and if he closed his eyes and concentrated, he could almost hear her breathing. He tried his best to push the grief away as he and Stefan got the body down from the ceiling and laid it on the couch. Then the two vampires looked at each other as if asking what the other one was going to do.

"The best I can think of is burying him in the back yard," Damon commented, falling onto one of the chairs. He leaned forward, pressing his hands to his ears in an attempt to block out Bonnie's stifling cries that he could hear _so clearly _despite them being miles away from one another. "I know I'm usually on the ball with plans like this, but right now I feel like someone punched a hole through my chest, so you're going to have to take the reins here, Stefan."

"Why—_oh. _Alright. I suppose we could bury him in the woods somewhere, or we could call the morgue." His eyebrows knitted. "It looked like suicide."

Damon sighed. "If you want to call the morgue, then we'd have to hang the body back up and get Bonnie back over here. And I _really _don't want to do that because I can already hear her incessant whimpering loud enough." His hands were still pressed on either side of his head, and he looked up at Stefan, scowling.

He realized, too late, that that was an insensitive thing to say, and he groaned because now he was going to have to listen to Stefan lecture him on the whole bit.

And his brother didn't disappoint. "She just lost her father, Damon, what did you expect? Her mother left her, and this was all the family that she had. And now he's gone. Her grandmother's gone—thanks to you, by the way—her mother's gone, and now her father's gone. Her life is falling apart, and you _of all people _should understand what she's going through right now. And I know that you hate everything, but if you make Bonnie feel any worse than she already does—"

"You'll what?" He cut him off, standing, and looking down at Stefan through narrowed eyes. "Kill me? Nice try, brother, but you can't do anything to me." And he laughed, taking a step back. "You wouldn't hurt Bonnie, and therefore you can't touch me. I'm more invincible now than I was before."

Damon knew that if he had to stand there and listen to his brother for one more second, he would snap his neck. And then he would have ten other people lecturing him. So instead of sticking around and waiting for the inevitable to happen, he brushed passed his brother, and then he was gone—out of the door. He was frustrated and tired and he could feel a headache—could you believe it? An honest-to-god headache—forming in his temples.

He couldn't go home because then he'd have to listen to Bonnie and Stefan. Right now, he was sure that he couldn't get through that without killing someone. So he went to the only other place he could think of—the Mystic Falls Grill. At the very least, he knew none of the Scooby Gang would be there because of the mandatory house arrest that Elena put in—with backed up reinforcement from Saint Stefan. She also added "the buddy system". The idea made him laugh.

He perched himself on a barstool, ordering a drink, downing it, and the ordering another one. Damon was still rubbing at his head absentmindedly. He couldn't remember the last time he had a real headache, and he had to say, he didn't miss the sensation one bit. This whole thing taught him that the next time Mystic Falls had a mysterious evil, it was best if he ran instead of sticking around to try and help with the _greater good. _

He quickly downed his second glass, getting a third. Now, he didn't know how this telepathy thing worked, but he prayed that Bonnie couldn't hear his thoughts right now because none of them were very nice. They circled around killing Stefan and then leaving this town—and its occupants—to go on without him. Not that that would make much of a difference. It wasn't like anyone needed him here. Bonnie, Stefan, _Elena_—they'd do fine on their own. He was just extra weight.

At the thought of Elena, he almost flinched. That stupid human. He wanted to hate her, now more than ever, he wanted to hate her. But he couldn't. He was pissed off, he was frustrated, but he didn't hate her. It was those big doe eyes, and how she was just so damn soft—he couldn't hate her no matter how much he tried. Just the thought of her, though, made him want to murder every single person on the bar.

Where did she get off telling him that he was a good person and deserved someone better than her? What was she thinking when she said that? First she turns him down—for the last time—and then she goes on one of her self-righteous rants about how good he is, and how he deserves happiness. Bile was rising in his throat, and it took all of his self-restraint not to turn on his heels and find someone to eat.

_Damon, stop. _

At first, his head snapped up, and he looked around for the source of the voice. It took a moment for him to realize that it was coming from inside of his head. He groaned. _Get out of my head, Bonnie, _he snapped, bringing the glass of bourbon to his lips and draining it on one quick swallow.

"Damon."

_I told you to stay—_never mind. That wasn't Bonnie. That voice was spoken out loud. He felt like he was going to crazy. And he swiveled around in his chair to come face-to-face with Alaric. Scowling, he turned back to the bar. "What're you doing here, Ric? Come to check up on me?" Damon turned his head just slightly as Alaric slid into the barstool beside him.

"Bonnie asked me to come—said something about you being really, really angry at Elena." He cast a sidelong glance at the vampire who simply huffed in return. He wasn't in the mood for this.

"I'm fine." He said simply after there was a long silence that stretched between them, in which Alaric kept staring at him. Alright, that was a complete lie, and he figured that his friend knew it, but he wasn't ready to elaborate. He definitely wasn't ready to talk about it. The only reason Bonnie knew was because of this stupid link that allowed them to see into each other's minds. If it were up to him, no one would know. Ever. Because he lost, and Damon Salvatore doesn't like admitting that he lost.

"You know, you could always—"

"Go home? Good idea. This place is too loud, anyway." And he pushed himself up from the bar, stalking away. Before he was gone, though, he glanced back at Alaric. "You should hurry and get home. If I remember correctly, your head in on the line next." He sneered, disappearing out of the door. He stood around for a few minutes, just breathing in the cool night air. He still didn't want to go home, but he didn't think that he had another choice.

About five minutes later, he's standing in front of the Salvatore Boarding House, and he flung the door open, walking in with long, confident strides. He was just going to go up to his room, but his eyes caught Bonnie's as he walked through the living room, and he veered around planting himself on the couch beside her. He noticed that she stopped crying, but her eyes were bloodshot, and it wasn't an exaggeration when he said she looked like hell.

_Get me out of here. _Bonnie's demand rang clear in head.

And he didn't move for a minute—instead watching both Elena and Caroline as they puttered around, offering Bonnie things like water and blankets, even though there was a glass in front of her and two blankets wrapped around her shoulders. He stood, looking down at the witch. "C'mon," he said, jutting his head toward the stairs.

Both Elena and Caroline watched carefully as Bonnie stood. "Where are you going?" That was Elena, and she stepped forward, almost shielding her friend's body. He had to resist the urge to roll his eyes at her.

"She's _tired, _Elena. It's four in the morning, she didn't get much sleep to begin with, and her dad just died. I think she needs some time to rest—away from the hovering mother hens." He threw as much coldness into his voice as possible, standing his ground until Bonnie had skirted around Elena and out of the room. And with one last glance at the two, still-shocked girls, he followed her.

She didn't say anything as they mounted the stairs together. And she went straight into her bedroom without a word. He watched the door for a few moments before spinning on his heels and pushing the door open to his own room. With the door shut firmly behind him, he removed his shirt and tossed it on one of the chairs. Running a hand through his hair, he poured himself a glass of bourbon from his personal stash, and sprawled out on his bed.

—

For the past few hours, he's detected no strenuous emotional distress from the witch across the hall. He figured that she was sleeping, which was good because he really needed a break from her thoughts. And he didn't even have to put up with any annoying prophetic dreams. It was blissfully quiet except for the rhythmic sounds of Bonnie's breathing. He didn't understand how he could hear it so clear, but it was like she was lying beside him.

And after drinking a whole bottle of alcohol, he was just about to nod off when the sound of his door creaking open startled him awake. He blinked a couple of times, watching in confusion as Bonnie entered, shut the door behind her, and made a beeline for his liquor. He didn't say anything, figuring that she deserved to get a little drunk after what just happened to her. And there was no way that she'd be able to make it to the liquor downstairs.

She poured herself a glass, took a drink, and then scrunched her nose at the taste. "That is awful," she shook herself, but still drank more. Damon snorted at the sight of her.

After another few drinks, she came to sit beside him on the bed, stretching her legs out in front of her. Oh, what a sight they were. If someone had asked Damon just last week if he ever saw himself sitting on the same bed with Bonnie Bennett—being civil, nonetheless—he would've laughed. But here they were now, and though it was completely strange, it felt natural to be close to her, like he was supposed to be. He blamed it on the empathy link.

"I think…" she trailed off, blowing air out of her cheeks. "I think that I have to go to the clearing."

He didn't need a map to know what she was talking about, and he shook his head. "You're not going there alone—I don't care what that thing says. If it wanted to kill one of us, it would've already. And who has it killed instead? The sheriff and your dad? None of us."

He saw her flinch at the mention of her father, and the picture of him hanging lifeless from the ceiling popped into his mind, but he quickly pushed it away. He wasn't wrong about this. But she shook her head. "No. I don't care that it hasn't killed one of us—it still can. And that's not a chance I'm willing to take. Tomorrow at midnight, I'm going to that clearing, and I'm going without you—you can either help me, or you can stay out of my way."

"Kind of hard to stay out of you way, Bonnie, when whether I die or not depends on you."

And she looked over at him with those big, green eyes. She looked as if she were going to protest for the longest time, but instead she just pushed herself off of the bed, sauntering over to the liquor again. She poured herself another glass, and one for him. Perching herself on the edge of the bed, she handing him his glass, and took a long swig from hers. Her face contorted momentarily, but then she just cleared her throat.

The two of them sat there for the longest time. They stared off into the distance and didn't talk. He could've followed her line of thoughts to see if she was planning anything, but her mind was suspiciously clear so he let his be too. It was kind of peaceful, he had to admit. It didn't feel awkward or strange or anything that it should've. It felt like he was sitting down with someone he was comfortable around. And he realized, for the first time, that he was comfortable around Bonnie.

His eyes tainted on her face. Slightly upturned nose, bow shaped lips, big green eyes; her face resembled youth and innocence, but there was a fire burning in the depths of those green eyes that was almost frightening.

He realized two things that night.

The first was that he was comfortable with Bonnie Bennett.

The second was that she was actually quite pretty.

**A/N: Ugh. Another short chapter. I'm not just as confident in my writing as Damon as I am as Bonnie. Next one with be longer, I promise! And I'm really, really, really excited to write the next chapter! I think you guys are really going to enjoy it. I also hoped that you enjoyed this one. **


	7. Pick a Slip of Paper out of the Hat

**A/N: Ugh. I haven't updated in forever. I'm so sorry. But, I've been watching a lot of videos on YouTube, which always sparks inspiration, so here's chapter seven! I hope you guys enjoy it. And I want you to let you know that I've started another story called **_**The Mikaelson Project. **_**It's more of a Kennett story, but it'll have traces of a little bit of everything. It should be op soon, so I hope you all check it out!**__**Alright—so read on and don't forget to review, review, review! **

As soon as her mind crawled out of the gutters of unconsciousness, an unbearable pounding began behind her eyes. And there was another thing—a thing that Bonnie couldn't quite wrap her head around. She, Bonnie Bennett, was surrounded by the scent of none other than Damon Salvatore. Her stomach was churning, which she figured was a mixture of the hangover and the disgust of the fact that she couldn't for the life of her remember what happened last night.

She had come in here, wanting nothing more than to get drunk and numb the unforgivable pain that had been swelling inside of her. She hoped, with everything in her, that things didn't get further than that. The fact that she was fully clothed helped calm her nerves some, and she pushed herself into a sitting position. Which she immediately regretted because a sharp pain shot behind her eyes. A loud groan came from her lips, which was followed suite by a curse by Damon who came sauntering out of the bathroom.

"Little piece of advice, Bonnie? Next time you want to get _that _drunk—don't." He rubbed his forehead, plopping himself down on the bed beside the little witch. "I haven't been hungover in a long time, and I don't want to start up again."

"Will you shut up?" Bonnie groaned, pressing her hands to her temples. After falling back onto the bed, she let out another painful groan. "I think I'm going to die." She pulled the blanket over her head, closing her eyes tightly. But that didn't last for long because soon she was throwing herself out of bed, and stumbling into the bathroom. The witch gagged until the entire contents of her stomach had emptied into the toilet. She fell back onto her haunches, rubbing her forehead.

Damon, who had followed her, handed her a damp face cloth. She wiped her face clean, looking up at the vampire. "Mouthwash," she said and he immediately handed her the bottle that was sitting on the sink. Bonnie rinsed her mouth once, twice, three times, until she was absolutely sure that all the nasty taste of vomit was gone from her mouth.

Just then, Caroline's voice cut through the silence that formed. "Hey, Damon, have you seen Bon—" She stopped in her tracks when she came to the bathroom, perking an eyebrow at the scene. "Mind filling me in?"

"She got plastered." Damon said, earning a glare from Bonnie, which he returned with a shrug.

"She _what? _And you just let her? Do you know how irresponsible that was? Her father died _yesterday, _Damon. She can't just go around getting drunk. You should know that, you should be helping her." She raved, her arms flying every which way.

"Hey!" Damon yelled back, and he was in front of her in a flash. "She came to me. _She _came in here wanting to get drunk. All I did was help her out. And just because you don't mourn by getting drunk, doesn't mean she doesn't."

"Hey, idiots! I'm sitting right here. It's easier to talk about me like I'm not here, if I'm actually not here." Bonnie tried to stand, but her body didn't agree with her, so she stayed where she was seated, glowering up at the both of them.

Caroline's face sobered, and she skirted around Damon to come to crouch beside Bonnie. "C'mon," she said. "Let's get you cleaned up, and downstairs. Some coffee, aspirin, and a few dozen glasses of water will help you feel better." The witch allowed Caroline to help her to her feet, and the blonde glanced at Damon. "You get out. Tell Elena we'll be down in half an hour or so."

And exactly half an hour later, Caroline appeared in the doorway to the kitchen with Bonnie in tow. She immediately made her way behind the counter as Bonnie took a seat at the table. Caroline was beside her again, setting down a glass of water and three aspirin. Bonnie downed them quickly and without question before resting her head on the table. She only looked up upon hearing footsteps enter the room. Elena strode in, coming to sit beside her.

"How're you feeling?" She questioned, putting a hand on her friend's shoulder.

Bonnie grunted. "Hungover," she responded. "Want to die," she added.

Elena pursed her lips before venturing into the question she had wanted to ask. "And about your dad?"

"Hungover," she repeated, "want to die."

She could've told them how she was really feeling—miserable and tired, but the moment she opened her mouth to say it, her throat closed, and tears burned in the back of her eyes. She didn't want to talk about it. Really, all Bonnie wanted to do was go back to bed, hide under the blankets, and stay there until she didn't feel like her whole world was crashing down around her. But, she figured, that that time was probably one that wasn't going to come.

"Alright," Caroline said, bouncing on her feet, "I have an idea. Let's have some fun." Her smile was spread from one ear to the other, and she clapped her hand on Bonnie's shoulder, practically letting out a shriek. "Elena, you get a cup of coffee into her, and then both of you meet me in the front room." And, without further explanation, the blonde bounded out of the kitchen.

The two remaining girls looked at each other questioningly, but neither one of them could come up with an explanation for Caroline's behaviour, so Elena made her way across the counter while Bonnie remained seated at the table, her eyes staying pinned on a spot on the wall. After a few minutes on silence, Elena set a cup of coffee down in front of Bonnie, and pulled out a chair at her side. She watched her as Bonnie sipped at the coffee, until the witch couldn't take the silence another second.

"Whatever you have to say, just say it, and stop looking at me because you're creeping me out."

Elena flushed, reaching up to push hair out of her face. "Right, sorry. I'm just—I'm worried about you, Bonnie. We all are. And I want you to know that we're all here for you if you need to talk. We all know what it's like to lose a parent."

Bonnie just watched her friend, not saying anything. She couldn't come up with words to say, so she turned back to her coffee, quickly downing it despite the fact that it burnt her tongue. She loved Elena, but the last thing she wanted to do was sit there while she looked at her with those pitying eyes. As soon as she got all the coffee down, she rose from her seat, giving Elena a smile and shrug before skirting around her and out of the kitchen, making her way into the living room.

Nearly everyone was seated around, except for Caroline who was standing at the front of the room. She beamed as Bonnie entered the room with Elena quickly in tow. Damon shooed Matt off of the couch beside him, afterward calling Bonnie over to his side. Matt went to sit on the arm of the armchair that Jeremy was perched in, and Bonnie settled herself beside her vampire body guard. He stretched his arm out on the back of the couch behind her.

_Feeling better? _He questioned, but she didn't bother answering because he knew exactly how she felt, with the link and everything.

"Okay, so here's what we're going to do." Caroline set a hat that Bonnie recognized as Matt's on the coffee table. In the hat was dozens of little slips of paper. "Extreme truth or dare. I got these off the internet," she shook the hat. "We'll go in turns, and you pick a slip of paper out of the hat, and on one side it says TRUTH or DARE, and on the other it has a truth or a dare you have to do. Got it?" They all nodded. "Great! Elena, you first."

Elena leaned forward, and plucked a piece of paper from the hat. "Truth," she read, "are you still in love with your ex?"

All eyes immediately went to Matt whose face was red. Elena bit down on the inside of her cheek, glancing between an embarrassed Matt and Stefan who looked like he wanted to hear anything but that. "Uh—" she stammered, scratching at her cheek. "Is there any possible way that I can skip the question?" She asked sheepishly, and Bonnie noticed that she had scooted closer to Stefan, whose hand was not resting on her knee.

"Not a chance in hell," Caroline responded, resting on the edge of the seat she had taken beside Bonnie. "C'mon—fess up."

The brunette pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes, groaning. "No," she said quickly. "I'll always love him, but I'm not _in_ love with him anymore." The words came so quickly out of mouth that it was hard to understand them.

Caroline scooted back in her seat, satisfied. "Good—Bonnie, you go next."

Because she figured that she didn't have much of a choice in the matter, she heaved a sigh, reaching into the hat. And when she read it, her mouth flung open, and she shook her head fiercely. "Nope. No way. Not gonna do it." She tossed the paper onto the table, leaning back, and crossing her arms over her chest.

Both Caroline and Damon reached for the paper, and Caroline got it first, but Damon plucked it from her fingers. "Hm. Dare," he read aloud. "Kiss the person directly to your left." He looked up, blinking in confusing before it all seemed to click together in his mind and he snorted, resting his arms on Bonnie's shoulders. "Guess that would be me, huh?" He smirked, toying with her curls, watching her like he was a lion and she was a gazette—in other words, like he was the predator, and she was his prey.

"Not happening," she sneered.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "It's just a game, Bonnie."

"Yeah, and if I had to answer that question, then you have to do this." Elena added with a smirk.

"I said n—"

But before Bonnie could finish her sentence, she was cut off by Damon who pressed his lips to hers. The room was a resounding amount of shocked noises, coming from every single person. Bonnie, however, responded by grunting and shoving on Damon's chest with all the force she could muster. He took no notice of her attempts to get away, instead putting his hands on her face. She was about to witchy-migraine him when she remembered the bind, so instead pushing on his chest again.

This time he stumbled backward, almost falling off of the couch. But he quickly regained his posture, moving his arm to the back of the couch again. His smirk was wide and self-satisfied. "Not bad, Bennett."

"Try that again, and I'll—"

"And you'll what? Kill me?" He perked an eyebrow, challenging her.

"Alright!" Caroline clapped her hands together. "Now that that's over with—Jeremy? Your turn?"

The younger Gilbert was staring at Damon like he wanted nothing more than to kill him right then and there. His glare stayed on Damon for ten seconds longer before he huffed, and reached forward, into the hat. "Dare," Jeremy read, "lick the bottom of your foot." He looked up, perking an eyebrow at Caroline. "Really, Caroline?" When she just shrugged, he heaved a sigh, kicking one of his shoes off. He stretched his foot as close to his mouth as he could get it, but was still nowhere close.

And the sight of Jeremy, trying to lick his own foot, was enough to make Bonnie forget about how angry she was and actually laugh.

After a few long moments of trying, he finally gave up. "I don't know who the hell is flexible enough to do that, but it sure isn't me," he said, reaching to get his shoe and pull it back on.

Caroline, who was having a laughing fit beside Bonnie, nearly fell off the couch. The witch elbowed her in the side, and after another few moments of laughing, she sobered. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry." She wiped at her eyes. "I'll go next." And she reached into the hat, pulling out a sheet of paper. "Dare," she said, "take a shot every time someone says your name." She paused, rolling her eyes. "You've got to be kidding me." She said.

"Totally not kidding, Caroline," Damon mocked.

"Yeah, Caroline, this is completely serious," Matt joined it.

"I think you're up to two shots, Caroline," Elena smirked.

"Better get drinking, Caroline," Jeremy nodded.

"I'm not sure if I approve of all this underage drinking, Caroline," Alaric snickered.

The blonde threw her hands up, standing. "I'm so getting you all back for this." She sauntered over to Damon's alcohol stash. She poured herself five shots, downing each one in a matter of seconds. "Jeeze," she scrunched her nose, shaking her head. And she made her way back to her seat, plopping down in it.

"Good job, Caroline," Damon clapped his hands slowly.

She glared at him, "I hate you." And she was on her feet again, pouring herself another shot and downing it.

"Okay, now that we've all had our fun torturing Caro—" When Caroline shot daggers at Elena, she quickly reworded herself. "—I mean, our blonde vampire friend, Stefan? You go?" She turned to the vampire, who reached into the hat, picking a slip of paper.

"Truth," he said, "do you see yourself spending the rest of your life with your current partner?" He looked over at Elena, who blushed, and leaned closer to him. Bonnie noticed him squeeze her knee, and she couldn't help but feel the tiniest bit of jealousy. Because one thing that she wished was for a love like Stefan and Elena had. They were just so… true. Stefan kissed the side of Elena's head, and she thought that she had never seen anything cuter than them in her life. "I do," he answered.

Damon made a fake gagging noise. "Please never do that again where I can see." He scrunched his nose, shaking his head. "I'll go next," he said, reaching into the hat. "Truth," he read, "do you think the person on your right is attractive?" And he glanced over at Bonnie, who was shooting daggers through him. He took his time, looking at her from head to toe, making sure that his eyes took in every part of her body. "Not when she's looking at me like wants to cut my head off," he responded, crumpling the paper.

_You're an ass, _Bonnie thought to him.

_Don't be jealous, Bonnie. You know you're beautiful. _

Bonnie blinked, confused, and looked at him. Did Damon, in his own way, just say she was pretty? She thought that he did, but she couldn't quite wrap her head around why. Had Damon, all along, thought that she was pretty, or was this a new thing? She didn't know, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to know, if she was being truthful. The thought was just a little too weird for her to comprehend, so she shook it off, turning back to the game. Matt had just taken a slip from the hat.

"Dare," he read, "sit in your underwear for the next three questions." He grumbled, rolling his eyes. "Caroline, you've got some seriously weird dares in here," he said as he pulled his shirt off over his head. And next he stood, shimmying out of his jeans. That left him sitting on the arm of the chair in nothing but his boxers. He crossed his arms over his chest.

"Better you than me, dude," Tyler said as he jumped up from where he was sitting on the floor. He took a paper from the hat. "Truth," he read, "pizza or ice cream?" He glanced at Caroline who had just finished taking another shot because Matt said her name, and he shook his head. "You've got all these interesting questions in here, and I get 'pizza or ice cream'?" When she just shrugged, he sighed. "Pizza."

Now, everyone was looking at Alaric. "Ah—no way. I'm just here to supervise." He shook his head, spreading his hands on his jeans.

"Party pooper," Elena said, reaching into the hat again. "Dare," she read, "kiss the person on your direct right." She looked at Stefan who smiled at her. The raven haired girl leaned over and pressed her lips against his once in a long, sweet kiss.

Beside her, Damon was, once again, making gagging noises.

Bonnie could only roll her eyes as she reached to take another piece of paper out of the hat. "Truth," she read, "how do you feel about the person that's sitting on your left?" She heaved a sigh, looking at Damon. And she could practically hear the whole room take in an anticipating breath. "I think you're an ass, and you're selfish. You do things that you think is best, without considering how it'll make other people feel. But even though you say you don't, you care. Almost too much. It's both your greatest weakness and your humanity."

_Looks like we've both got the same problem then, witchy. _

**A/N: This was kind of a filler chapter for what's happening next, but eep—Bamon kiss. It was fun to write, and I hope you guys enjoyed reading it! And, again, I'm sorry for not updating regularly. Just stick with me, yeah? I'm trying. **

**Oh, and don't forget to review, review, review! It helps keep me inspired. **


	8. Expression is the Darkest Kind of Magic

**A/N: This chapter is going to be styled a little bit differently than usual because I've been experimenting with different styles. I hope you guys enjoy it! Don't forgot to review, review, review. **

"_Damon!" _

_His name being called made him snap his head to the left, and there she was, stumbling towards him. There was a large gash on her forehead, and she was as pale as a sheet, but, besides that, she remained unharmed. He was at her side in a second, and she fell into his arms. He would never admit it, but he had never felt such relief in his life as when he held her. _

_Her tiny body was shaking like a leaf, and he could feel tears fall from her eyes and land on his shirt. There would never be any mention of the moment that Damon pressed his face into her hair, and closed his eyes, letting himself breathe her in. He would never've done it, but in that few seconds, he was so relieved that she was alive, that she was okay, that she was with him. _

_He should've called out for Stefan or Caroline to let them know that Bonnie was fine, but he couldn't bring himself to right then. Instead, he held her closer to him, hushing her cries. "It's alright. It's me, Bonnie. It's just me." _

Damon dragged his hands down his face as thunder cracked outside the window behind him. The lightning lit up the whole room, and he saw Bonnie flinch from where she was sleeping on her bed. His gaze locked on the rise and fall of her chest for a long moment before he leaned back in his chair again. He could hear her steady heartbeat—a reassuring sound as of late.

He closed his eyes, wishing that sleep would visit him. His day had been long, his night, even longer. Even now he could hardly believe that he'd let her go. He knew it was an idiotic decision, he knew it was suicidal. But she had convinced him with the promise that she wouldn't so much as leave his sight until this was all over.

And that explained why Damon was now lounging in one of the large plush chairs in Bonnie's bedroom as she slept. He hadn't meant it to be this extreme, but when he thought that he had lost her tonight, when the connection—as annoying as it was—went out, Damon had almost gone out of his mind. He couldn't hear her, he couldn't feel her; one second she was there, the next she wasn't.

_He didn't know how to explain the sensation. He was lounging on the hood of his car, watching as Stefan and Caroline paced in front of him when it happened. When, suddenly, Bonnie's heartbeat—a sound he could hear no matter how far apart they were—wasn't there anymore. And as hard as he tried, he couldn't feel her anywhere. Everything was just gone in a tenth of a second. _

_And that wasn't okay with Damon. He shot straight up from where he was sitting, his head turning from side to side as if she would miraculously appear. Stefan was the first one to take notice of the change in Damon's demeanor. _

"_What's wrong?" He asked, and now Caroline's attention was turned to him too. _

_Damon didn't answer at first, his eyes still scanning the line of trees, hoping that he would see her stumble through them. But she didn't, so, in a hurried voice, he said, "She's gone." _

"_Gone? What do you mean "gone", Damon?" The blonde was standing in front of him, staring him down like he was playing some cruel joke on them, and, God, he wished that he was. _

_His lip curled up in a snarl as he looked at her. "I mean she's gone. I can't feel her anymore." _

_Stefan, ever the mediator, stepped in between them. "Gone as in…" His voice trailed off suggestively, and he watched his older brother with a perked eyebrow. "Are you sure, Damon?" _

_He noticed that Caroline was shifting on her feet, glancing between Damon and the trees, like she wanted to take off, but was waiting for the word. His eyes closed, and he paused for a long moment. "No," he said. "I'm not sure. She was just… there one moment, and gone the next. I don't think she's dead." _

_His brother nodded as if that was all he needed to hear. "Then we wait. We don't know what happened, and we can't risk going in there unless we absolutely have to. As long as she's not dead." _

"_I don't really want to take the chance," Caroline snapped, her posture suggesting that she was about ready to run into the woods. _

"_Caroline," Stefan put a hand on the blonde's shoulder. "We'll give her thirty minutes, and then we go in." _

_Damon, who was standing still as a statue, his jaw clenched, spoke again. "Twenty." _

Bonnie made a noise, rolling over uneasily in her sleep. The vampire just watched her as another stroke of lightning illuminated her outline. Her head swung from one side to the other, and the distressed look on her face suggested that she was having another nightmare. For some reason unbeknownst to him, he found himself rising from the chair, and walking towards the bed.

And he found himself lowering onto the bed, and crawling under the blankets with her. He didn't go further than that. It was, in fact, Bonnie who scooted into his arms, curling her fingers into his shirt and burying her face in his chest. It didn't take him long to relax, and it was easier than he thought it would be. Something about them—together—seemed so… natural. He shook his head.

Just like when she propelled herself into his arms earlier that night. Holding her then, when she was crying and incoherent, was so natural it shocked him. Because Damon Salvatore wasn't supposed to hold Bonnie Bennett, let alone feel right while doing it.

_He pushed hair from her face after he shushed her, his hand going under her chin to force her to look up at him. "What happened, Bonnie? Tell me everything. Why couldn't I feel you anymore?" _

_Just like it had been there one moment, every tear, every shred of vulnerability was gone from her face. She looked like Bonnie Bennett again—strong, fierce, powerful, somewhat frightening. Those green eyes seemed to get a light again, and her face contorted into a snarl as she looked past him, over his shoulder. Her eyes locked with his again. "I know what it is." _

Damon unconsciously snuggled closer to her, letting her head rest on his chest. He heard her mumble something under her breath; a single word spoken while she was out-cold, but, somehow, it made his cold, dead heart clench. "Damon."

He closed his eyes, breathing her scent in. It was something he found himself doing more and more often, and he liked it. She smelt like strawberries and coffee with a hint of something he couldn't quite place. He looked at her face just in time to see those green eyes fluttering open. She blinked, as if she thought that she was seeing things. "… Damon?"

"Sh," he hushed, "go back to sleep."

And, for some reason, the ever defiant, the ever do-exactly-the-opposite-of-what-Damon-says Bonnie closed her eyes and went back to sleep.

He knew how tired she was, though. He could feel it. He could feel it just as clearly as he could feel her again. Damon remembered that, even as annoying as it was to have his life tied to Bonnie's and have no privacy whatsoever from her, he was almost relived when she was back in his head, poking around in there earlier tonight.

"_I can do that, y'know," she pointed out as Damon dabbed the cut on her forehead lightly. _

_Bonnie was sitting on the edge of the bathtub, and Damon knelt in front of her. "Sh," he pressed a finger to her lips, silencing her. "We can't rely on you to do much of anything, witchy." He said, earning a smack from her, but he still grinned. "Seriously, hold still. This is probably going to sting a little." He pressed the cotton ball to her cut, and both of them ended up jumping back from the sting of the alcohol. "Alright, so I didn't totally think that one completely through." _

_She eyed him for a minute, her face unreadable, but her mind whirling. _I could… _Her voice in his head trailed off, but he didn't need her to finish. He already knew what she was thinking, what she was feeling. _

It'd probably be much easier, _he responded with a rise and fall of his shoulders. _

_She gave a slight nod, hesitant but willing. _

_He watched her for another long moment before bringing his wrist to his lips and biting it. Quickly, he handed Bonnie his wrist before it healed, and she pressed her lips to it. For a long moment she just looked at him, holding his wrist to her lips, but then her eyes flickered close, and he felt her begin to suck on his blood. _

_He didn't understand, the feeling the rushed through him, the feeling that was emanating from Bonnie's being, but he felt out of breath and everything seemed so… physical. Damon closed his eyes, pulling the little witch closer to him, resting his chin on the top of her head. Her heart was beating faster than it ever had before and Damon… couldn't… think… like… this. _

_But, just like that, she was pushing away from him, looking up at him with wide green eyes as if he had an explanation for that that she was waiting for. All he could do, though, was look back at her, and reach up to wipe blood off of her chin. _

_The cut on her forehead had disappeared, leaving nothing but dried blood in its wake. _

Damon leaned back against the pillow, closing his eyes.

Surprisingly, his and his little witch's blood sharing session was not the weirdest part of the night. It didn't even come close to Bonnie explaining to him what happened when they connection was out of commission. And that didn't even come close to her explanation of what the big bad was, and what it wanted.

"_They were there." _

"_They?" Damon questioned. _

_She shook her head, running a hand through her hair as she paced back and forth in front of them. "They, Damon." She looked at him, and a cold chill went through his body. "Every spirit of every supernatural creature that has ever died. They want out. They want me to break the veil and get them out, releasing them into the world to do God-knows-what." _

_He wanted to ask if she was serious, but he already knew that she was. "What are you talking about?" _

"_A very powerful witch a long time ago created the Other World, kind of a purgatory for supernatural creatures. I don't know the legend, but she created it as punishment for someone who scorned her. Witches, vampire, werewolves—that's where they go when they die. There are thousands of them there. They've been sitting there for thousands of years, festering, and gathering power. They want out." _

"_Don't do it," he reasoned. _

_Her face darkened, and she stopped in her tracks. "They're going to kill everyone I love as leverage. Elena, Caroline, Stefan, Jeremy, Matt—they're going to kill everyone if I don't do this." There were tears in her eyes, and he almost stepped forward to wipe them from her face. _

"_But…?" _

_Her eyes met his. "But the spell requires what witches call and Expression Triangle. Expression is the darkest kind of magic, and an Expression Triangle is three massacres of twelve. Twelve humans, twelve witches, twelve demons. That's thirty six people innocent people who have to die if I decide to do this." She closed her eyes. "And… I don't know if I can." _

**A/N: I know that this chapter is short, but I hoped you guys enjoyed it nonetheless! **


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